Desperate
by xoc13
Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures.
1. Chapter 1

**M y laptop went to heaven a few weeks ago and while I saved enough $ to get a new one, I've been working on my stories. I made great progress for 'Ranger's Date' (I decided to add one last chapter to that one) and 'Mañoso' updates. **

**But, this little AU story formed in my mind and the first chapter practically wrote itself. I've taken some liberties with a certain man in black's family and history. It is AU afterall…**

**Let me know if there's interest. Thoughts, comments…**

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.**

After a depressing conversation with my mother about my brother's predicament, I decided a little shopping spree was called for. I live in Miami, but every time I visit my parents here in Newark I love to pay a little visit to one lingerie shop in particular.

As soon as I parked in front of Plum's I realized that something wasn't right. A huge _'everything must go_' sign was plastered on the front plate glass window. I felt my heart sink at the realization. When it rains it pours. Why? Why is my favorite place of all time going out of business? I felt like crying.

"Mariela!" The curly haired owner greeted me with a smile, but the spark that usually adorned her blue eyes was gone. "It's nice to see you."

"Stephanie, hi." I returned the greeting and gave her a hug. It looked like she needed it. Okay, _I_ was the one who needed a hug. "What's going on here?" I scanned my eyes over the glass counter by the cash register and walls. The place was slowly emptying out.

Stephanie blew out a sigh. "It's a rough time." She shrugged, waving a hand towards my favorite section: thongs. Even from my position I could tell that a lot of the good stuff had gone first.

"You know what?" I gave her my best conspiratorial smile. "How about some girl time?" Over the years we've formed a friendship of sorts. She's probably the only non-family person I visit when I'm in Jersey.

"I-Uh..." She hesitated for a moment.

"It's lunch time." I upped the wattage on my smile. "You gotta eat, right?"

"True." Stephanie walked towards the register to grab her purse and keys. "I might need a margarita, though." She added with a tiny grin.

A small laughed escaped me. "I think I know a place." The way the day was going I might need more than one margarita.

We walked two blocks to a local Mexican bar and grill. We settled in a booth by the corner and ordered Chicken Fajitas and a pitcher of lime margaritas.

"Spill it." I commanded as our drinks arrived.

Stephanie groaned as she warned me that it was a long story.

"Start from the beginning." I said as I took a sip of my margarita. Ahhh! That was just what I needed.

"As you know from your last visit, I caught my husband boinking a slut." She took a generous gulp of her drink. "On our dining table."

"Oh, yeah!" Geez, and I thought I had problems. "How's the divorce thing going?"

"We were married for about 15 minutes before he had the affair." She snarled at the memory as she refilled her glass. "Our divorce was quicker than our time in the bedroom."

Maybe I should keep her away from too many margaritas. "Well, that's done."

She nodded vigorously. "It _so_ is." And then she huffed out what almost sounded like a tiny wail. "But, I'm so in debt that I've got to let the lingerie shop go."

No! "You love that place." It was my turn to gulp a margarita down. "I love that place." In fact, my husband loves it just as much.

Stephanie smiled sadly.

And that's when it hit me. She was the solution to my brother's problem and he in turn would be the solution to hers. Maybe the tequila was talking, because I suddenly formed and cemented the idea in my head. "Maybe you _can_ save your shop." I blurted out.

She gave me a funny look. "Did I finish that?" Immediately she flagged down the waiter and asked for more. "How?" She finally asked.

"I'll hire you." Yup, the tequila was definitely talking.

Stephanie snorted out a laugh. "Doing what?"

"To marry my brother." I've lost it. My tongue is acting out of its own volition.

The waiter brought over another pitcher and she was quick to refill her glass. "I already had a husband. I didn't like it, remember?" Her goofy laugh told me she was already bordering the tipsy line.

In order for my newly developed plan to work I needed a woman I could trust. _Stephanie is that woman_. And she just might be desperate enough to accept. Desperate times call for desperate measures…

"And besides, what kind of man needs to pay a woman to marry him?" Stephanie was definitely on her way to getting real drunk. "Is he short, bald..." She leaned forward, close enough to ask in a conspiratorial whisper, "What's wrong with him?"

"My brother is actually quite handsome." I gave her the quick version: that my brother's legal status in the US is in jeopardy. He's got everything to lose, even the company he's worked so hard to build and maintain.

Our food arrived and as soon as the waiter left Stephanie leaned closer once again. "Nope." Very vehemently she shook her head no. "I don't need to add problems with immigration to my list of troubles."

_Stephanie's_ POV

I awoke with a killer headache the next morning. "Ungh!" I groaned, but quickly thought better of it when the sound made the headache worse. I stayed sprawled on my bed with my eyes closed for a few minutes.

I bolted upright when I remembered my conversation with Mariela. I must have been real drunk because towards the end of our meal her plan became somewhat appealing. "Hell no." It had to have been the tequila talking because there's no way in hell I'll ever get married again. _Ever_.

Life with my now ex-husband Dickie Orr wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, I'm actually glad it ended before children were involved. Not that I ever saw myself having kids with that dick...

With a sigh, I got out of bed and stripped out of yesterday's clothes. I padded barefoot towards my bathroom and adjusted the water to take a nice and refreshing shower. My cleansing was speedy and basic. When I stepped out of the shower, I passed the towel over the important places and blow dried my hair. I swooped some mascara on my lashes and added some lip gloss. I dressed in comfortable jeans and stretchy tee.

By the time I reached the kitchen I realized that coffee wasn't going to help me today. Nope, this hangover called for THE CURE. Salty fries and a cold Coke from McDonald's has never failed me in situations like these before.

"Don't ever drink if you can't handle your alcohol."I said to my pet hamster Rex as I dropped some food pellets in his glass tank of a home. He stuffed his cheeks and disappeared inside the soup can he loves to sleep in. "Yeah, that's my plan too." Grabbing my keys and purse I headed out of my apartment before I decided to crawl back into bed.

I angled inside my car, a cute little Miata I'm going to have to give up pretty soon, and drove to my nearest Mickey D's. I hit the drive thru, ordering large fries with extra salt and a large Coke with lots of ice.

By the time I reached my shop both the fries and soda were long gone and I had to pee like crazy. I parked on the curb right in front of my shop and dashed inside, only stopping to make sure I relocked the door. It was a miracle, but thankfully I made it to the restroom in time.

After taking care of business I felt somewhat relieved and decided to get started with the day. And just as my luck would have it, I spotted my Miata being loaded onto a flatbed by the repo guys. Shit. I didn't even step outside when I unlocked the front door, accepting it with grace.

Business was slow since I haven't brought in new merchandise in weeks. I'm just waiting for the lease to be over. I've got about a week left to sell whatever's left, cut my loses and move on.

"Hmmph." The sound escaped me and I decided to stop mopping about what was and could have been. I've neglected my purse for a while now and I thought it was as a good a time as any to sift through the clutter and get rid of the trash.

And as if on cue a pristine white business card rested on top of the pile. _Mariela Mañoso_. Just below her name was a phone number with area code 305.

"Oh shit." I muttered to myself when it dawned on me that I was dialing her number.

"Hello, Stephanie." Her voice greeted me over the phone, sounding happy to hear from me.

"Stephanie?"

It was then that I realized I'd been holding my breath. "Run your plan by me again?" This time I can't even blame the alcohol for the conversation.


	2. Possible Solution

**Thank you for the amazing response to the opening chapter for this story. It seems Mariela was well received and I'm glad, because she's gonna play a huge part in this. As a thank you here's the continuation told from, you guessed it, Ranger's POV. **

**A lot of questions need to be answered, but it's just the beginning. Let's pace ourselves, lol. **

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. **

"I need to find another lawyer." I grumbled as I hung up the phone.

"What happened to Orr?" My second in command questioned as he sank his massive body in one of the chairs facing my desk.

"That dick is useless." After my all time legal wizard suffered a freak accident while enjoying some time under the Miami sun, I've been having trouble finding someone competent enough to take care of my legal jumble.

"What happened?" Tank asked.

"Aside from the fact that he was fifteen minutes late?" I scoffed. Everyone knows not to keep me waiting. If someone is even a minute late, I won't meet with them. "He's scum." Richard 'Dickie' Orr gave me a bad vibe and from my research I've discovered that his methods are questionable at best. "I need someone who knows what he's doing." But most importantly, I need someone I can trust.

"The next guy on the list is Albert Kloughn." Tank said, reading off of the file in his hands.

"Clown?" I need someone serious.

"No, K-l-o-u-g-h-n." Tank said the guy opened up his own business fresh out of law school. "He's a bit green, but he's clean."

"You sure about this guy?" I'm not usually the paranoid, conspiracy nut kind of guy. But after everything that's happened to me lately, well, a guy can't be too careful.

"We're running out of options." He shrugged a massive shoulder as if to say '_why not give him a chance_?'.

I've known Tank for a long time. I trust him with my life and he's proven time and again that his judgment is sound. "I can meet with him after lunch."

My business partner and friend nodded as he stood.

Once he left I thought I'd finally get some actual work done, but of course the interruptions continued.

"You busy?" I was surprised to find my sister Mariela standing in the open doorway.

"Actually, yes." It was as if I'd said '_No, come on in'_, because she was quick to close the door behind her.

"I have the solution to all your problems." She said, grinning from ear to ear as she rounded my desk to greet me properly.

Returning the hug and kiss I asked, "You found me a lawyer?" A guy can only dream.

Her smile grew, illuminating her pretty face. "Even better." My sister is two years older, a couple of inches shorter, a few shades lighter and a whole lot more social than me.

"Mariela." I gave her my best no nonsense glare, the one that can scare off even the bravest men. She seemed unaffected by it as she took her seat.

"I found you a wife." How could her face not hurt from smiling so much?

"How's that supposed to be a solution for me?" I don't even know how or when exactly this whole mess turned into a freak show. A wife? How could that possibly benefit me?

"Carlos, listen." She went on to explain her so called brilliant plan. My sister somehow got it into her head that if I got married that would keep the legal troubles off my back.

Sure, marriage _could_ solve _part_ of problem, but I'd still have other legal battles to deal with. "I appreciate your concern, but…"

"No, buts." She definitely used the Mañoso part to her advantage. "Look, if you get married that would solve the whole legal status jumble." She was quick to point out the 'genius' of her plan. "That would buy you time to get to the bottom of this whole mess."

I blinked at her, surprised. It's true. Her plan would buy me time. Time that's not in my favor at the moment. Pretty soon I'll be desperate. "I appreciate your concern, but it's not going to work."

"Yes, it will." She was adamant that her plan was fail proof.

"And who exactly is going to be the bride?" I had her there. I'm not romantically involved with anyone and haven't been for years. Where could my sister possibly find someone willing and able to marry me on short notice?

"I've got it covered." Again, that devious little smile of hers lit up her face.

Before I could formulate a comeback the door to my office opened and none other than Robert Brown entered. Bobby takes care of risk management for my security company. He's based in the Miami office, but since he trains the medical staff he spends time in all of our branches. He's currently working with our newest hire here in Trenton.

"Hey." Bobby greeted his wife with a quick peck on the lips. "Am I interrupting?"

"She's filling me in on her brilliant plan." I replied, because I'm sure he's aware of things.

"Oh." He nodded, quickly closing and locking the door. "The wife thing?" He whispered.

"So you're aware." I flashed him a forced smile as I shot my sister a glare, silently asking who else knew about this.

"Just us." She replied, easily understanding my silent question.

"Who's us?"

"Us." She waved a hand between herself, Bobby and I. "And _her_."

"And _who is she_?" I'm known for having very little patience. These days I have even less.

"Her name is Stephanie." Mariela flashed me her best grin, the one I'm sure made Bobby fall for her.

"Stephanie?" Bobby asked, surprised with the name drop. "Lingerie Stephanie?" He asked my sister.

"Mmmhhmm." Mariela nodded at him without taking her eyes off of me.

"Do you trust her?" I've lost it.

"Yes." She didn't skip a beat, answering me with complete honesty.

"This is crazy." It really is.

"Give it a chance." My sister begged. "Come to dinner." She said it would give me a chance to meet her.

She's crazy and I'm crazy for even considering this crazy plan. "Fine."

"Yes!" Mari bounced out of her seat, rushed around the desk and crushed me in a surprisingly strong hug. "You won't regret it." She said she'd call me with the details and just like that she was gone.

"What do you have for me?" I asked Bobby.

"Here's my report on Diesel." Bobby passed me the paperwork as he gave me the quick version of his evaluation of Rangeman's newest employee. I nodded as I flipped through the report, satisfied to know that hiring the tall blond man who prefers Diesel over Derek was the best call.

Just as Bobby made a move to leave, I halted his progress with a simple question. "Lingerie Stephanie?"

He grinned at me, looking eerily similar to my sister when he smiled like that. "She's got a lingerie shop in Newark." That cheeky grin told me way more than I needed to know about my sister's undergarments.

S&R

By the end of the workday I at least had the lawyer thing under wraps. Kloughn definitely lacked experience, but he had principles. My gut instinct told me he was okay. I don't usually base my decisions off of a gut feeling, but it seems to be my best option under the current circumstances. And it's not like the newbie will be doing all of the heavy lifting. He's going to have help. He just doesn't know it yet.

"Ready for dinner?" At five o'clock sharp Bobby was at my office door.

"Sure." As if the day hasn't been long enough already.

The drive to Newark was uneventful. I paid close attention to every turn he made, but didn't recognize the way. We were definitely not headed towards my parents' house. I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

When he finally rolled to a stop in front of a shop with an _everything must go_ sign on the front window I was even more confused. I shot Bobby a questioning glare he ignored as we angled out of his SUV.

"What are we doing here?" I couldn't help but ask as I followed him down the narrow alley on the side of the brick building.

"Dinner." He said it as if it were obvious.

I just grumbled. Like I said, my patience is running real low these days.

Just as I was questioning why on Earth I agreed to this, Bobby opened the shop's back door. Once inside we were greeted with soft music and lighting.

"Carlos." My sister winked at me as if she knew something I didn't.

And then I spotter_ her_. She was dressed in a simple black dress, looking perfectly normal. Scratch that. Better than normal.

_Lingerie Stephanie_ was not what I expected.


	3. Dinner and a Surprise

**Thanks for the amazing support on this story. Glad it's being well received. **

**I apologize for the wait, but final exams got in the way and I'm just glad I survived, lol. **

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. **

"That it?" I asked as the SUV rounded the corner and we headed down the block towards a state of the art building.

"Yes." Was all he said as he drove into the building's underground parking structure. The car rolled to a stop as he parked on one of two open spaces next to the elevator.

"What about my bags?" I gave him a puzzled look when he angled out of the car and strode towards the stairs.

"Ella will take care of that." He said as he disappeared inside. It wasn't until the door clicked shut that I realized I was supposed to follow him up.

"Crap." I wheezed as I jogged up the steps in order to catch up. I'm no slouch, but going up five flights of stairs is not something I do every day.

"Is there something wrong?" He arched an eyebrow at me when I finally joined him in hall on the fifth floor.

I shook my head in the negative as I tried to catch my breath. This guy was fit as hell and from the looks of the men bustling around us I was probably the only one out of shape in the entire building. Without a word, he spun on his heel and walked down the hall. Sucking in a breath, I followed him into an office.

"Ranger…" A freakishly large man appeared in the open doorway. It looked like his muscles had muscles. He probably wasn't expecting to find that the boss had company, which seemed to throw him off for a second. Probably realizing he'd let his guard down, he instantly schooled his features into a neutral expression.

"Are the men gathered?" Carlos asked the big man. When he nodded, Carlos said he would be there in five. The man turned around and left, obviously the short sentence was explanation enough.

"Should I wait for you here or…?" I'm not real sure what I'm supposed to do.

"No." Carlos is real hard to read and I feel like my questions annoy him. "I'm going to introduce you." He said introductions would make things flow easier. "Here."

I took the key fob and keys he handed me. "What are these for?" I cringed. He probably thinks I'm an idiot who can't think for herself.

"This," Carlos tapped the key fob. "…will give you access to the seventh floor." He also told me the other two keys were for the apartment on said floor. "Oh, I almost forgot." He handed me the key to the SUV he drove here.

"You're giving me a car?" My surprise must have shown on my face, because his forehead scrunched up in thought.

"You'll need a means of transportation."

I still have stuff to take care of in Newark. "That's true." And with that, the conversation was over. Carlos exited his office and once again I found myself trailing behind. He stopped abruptly when he reached a door across the hall, making me bump into him. "Sorry." I mumbled. God, this was so not my comfort zone.

Carlos slid the door open for me to go in before him. I stood just to the side of the door when I entered. All eyes in the room settled on us.

"Hi, Beautiful." One of the guys seated around the large conference table shot me a wink and smile. He looked a lot like Carlos, except his eyes were the color of new dollar bills. "I'm Lester." His grin widened and a spark light his gaze as his eyes scanned me from head to toe. The appraisal didn't make me feel uncomfortable, but there was something about him that told me he was a womanizer. But that didn't take away his charm.

"I'm Stephanie." I waved at the group in general, choosing to ignore Mr. Green Eyes.

A large hand landed on the small of my back as I felt its owner lean a tab bit closer to me. "Stephanie, you've already met Lester." I detected a hint of warning in Carlos's tone and from the looks of it, Lester didn't really care. "They are Tank, Bobby, Hector, Diesel…" He started rattling off the names of his employees, but I was momentarily distracted both by his proximity and the wink the tall blond Diesel shot my way.

"Hi, guys." I waved again, not wanting to admit that I didn't catch everyone's names. I already knew Bobby and now I knew that the big man was Tank.

"Men," Carlos's voice made the guys return their attention back to him. "I would like to introduce you to _my wife_, Stephanie." His hand moved from my back to my right hip, pressing my left side to his toned chest. My heartbeat sped up and my mouth went dry as his unique masculine scent enveloped me.

The guys were silent as their eyes darted from Carlos to me and back, obviously shocked by the news.

_Four days earlier_

I spotted her before she reached the door. "Ready?" Mariela poked her head inside, smiling wide.

"Yeah." I grabbed my purse and keys, locking the door after me.

We walked the short distance from my shop to the Mexican place, sitting at the same booth as the day before.

"Ladies." The same waiter appeared magically at our table, grinning at us. His enthusiasm made me wonder how much of a tip Mariela left the last time. We ordered the same thing, except we swapped the margaritas for two Cokes. "I'll be right back with your drinks." He said before walking away.

"I'm so glad you changed your mind." Mariela confessed she was worried I'd stick with my initial 'No'.

"I'm surprised too." Maybe it was the way my morning started or the fact that my car was reposed before I even made the day's first sale, but I dialed her number before I really thought about it.

"Thanks." She smiled sweetly at the waiter when he brought us our sodas. "My brother has agreed to meet you for dinner."

"What!" I had a feeling things were going to move real fast. "Why are you telling me now?" I frantically checked the time. I had nothing in my fridge, not that I'm much of a cook anyway. "How am I supposed to put a meal together with such short notice?" I took a swing of my Coke, trying to figure out what I _could_ prepare quickly. Let's be realistic here.

"Relax." Mariela said she'd take care of it.

As if on cue the waiter came back with chips and salsa. "Do you cater?" Mariela asked him. He answered yes and promised to return with a menu. "See." She flashed me another grin.

"Okay." Now that the food part of her plan was taken care of, I felt much better. "Look, I don't want you to think that I'm selling myself for…" I brought my voice down to a hushed whisper so only she could hear.

"I know." She cut me off, reaching across the table to pat my hand in reassurance.

We ate in comfortable silence as she tried to settle for a food package for tonight's dinner meeting.

By the time we walked back to my shop, Mariela had it all set. All I had to do was make a trip to my apartment and get ready for dinner.

"I forgot." Mental head slap. My car was repossessed this morning. No car meant I'd probably have to take the bus or call a cab. Either way I'd have to close earlier than usual to have enough time to go and come back before Mariela's brother arrived.

"Forgot what?" She asked.

"I don't have a car anymore."

"You can take mine." I envy her ability to think fast.

"What about you?" It was after one already. It might take me about an hour to go home, get ready and come back.

"I'll stay and set things up." She asked if there was a back entrance.

"We're having dinner here?" I looked around my nearly empty store, realizing it was large enough to accommodate a table and chairs.

"Where else?" I felt like I was missing something, but decided to leave the planning to her. It seems like she knows what she's doing.

I completely forgot that I've neglected doing laundry for two weeks, so that only left one sexy little black dress that would be suitable to wear. Somehow I don't think jeans and T-shirt would make a memorable first impression. Delay number two was courtesy of my unshaved legs. Wearing jeans seems like a practical choice in the mornings, but now it's going to take time for me to get rid of the unwanted hair.

"I'm sorry." I apologized to her when I finally got back, almost an hour before Mr. Mañoso arrived. "I lost track of time."

"No worries." Nothing seems to bother this woman. I might have to ask her for lessons.

"Are we still having dinner here?" The store looked just as I'd left it.

"The backroom seems more fitting." Mariela smiled, looking very pleased with her work.

"Nice." I praised once I inspected her work. This area was once filled with merchandise. Once it started emptying out, I've sort of avoided it all together. These days I only come back here when I take a trip to the john. "Is there anything I can help with?" I felt bad for leaving her alone to do all of the hard work. She shook her head, saying we had time to unwind before the food arrived.

The restaurant sent a guy to set up the food for us. The thongs section caught his eye, so I let him chose one for his significant other. His playful grin said the lace was better than a cash tip.

When the back door opened I felt my heart skip a beat. I felt as nervous as the time I wanted to fly and jumped off the garage's roof as a kid.

Mariela greeted one of the men with a soft peck on the lips before focusing her attention on the other man. "Carlos."

I stared at the man standing before me, momentarily losing the ability to talk. She said her brother was quite handsome, but I thought she was just being subjective.

But oh boy was he handsome.

**Ranger's 'problem' will be dissected next chapter. It'll be fun to see what he thinks of the guys giving 'his wife' winks and smiles:D**


	4. Sweet

**Thanks for the awesome support.**

**These two are sort of doing things backwards, getting married first and then getting to know each other. Will they be able to resist each other?;)**

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. **

"Hi, Beautiful." Fucking Lester doesn't seem to know when to turn off his dick. "I'm Lester." And to top it off he had the audacity of shamelessly checking her out.

"I'm Stephanie." She waved at the guys, much to Lester's pleasure.

I placed my hand on the small of her back, leaning closer to her. "Stephanie, you've already met Lester." I shot my cousin a silent warning. It's irrational, but his flirting caused something inside of me to flare up and turn somewhat overprotective of the woman at my side. "They are Tank, Bobby, Hector, Diesel, Cal, Woody, Hal and Ramon." When I caught Diesel winking at her, I decided to cut introduction of the guys short. There's only one of her and if I know these guys, they'll gossip the news to the others in no time.

"Hi, guys." She waved again, probably because she didn't remember all of their names.

"Men," Even if I didn't want to admit it, I was losing the guys. I guess it's hard to compete for attention when there's a beautiful woman present. Christ, it's like they've never seen a woman before. Assholes. "I would like to introduce you to _my wife_, Stephanie." Automatically, my hand moved from its position on her back to her right hip while I simultaneously pressed her left side against my front. With the close proximity I caught a whiff of her shampoo, a citrusy scent that made my head spin. Fuck, here I am criticizing my guys for flirting with her and here _I am_ falling at her feet too.

The moment was interrupted when the silence in the room ended abruptly.

"Well, damn." None other than Lester said. "What a surprise." He stood, swiftly making his way towards us. "Congrats, man!" He clapped my shoulder enthusiastically before he turned to give Stephanie his full attention. "Welcome to the family." Cupping her face, he moved in and planted her one right on the lips.

"Uhm…" She gaped at him with wide eyes, obviously taken aback by his action.

Bobby must have sensed that I was about to snap my idiot cousin in two, because he quickly joined the mix. The rest of the guys cheered and greeted us, but thankfully they were much more respectful than Les. Diesel bordered the line a bit when he kissed her cheek, though.

"Thanks for the warm welcome, guys." Despite the initial shock, she bounced back quickly. "I've got stuff to organize upstairs and I don't want to keep you guys from your work." With another friendly wave and smile she was gone.

"Lester." Once I had his attention I informed him that he and I would spend some time on the mats tomorrow morning. There's no way I'm letting him get away with kissing my wife, even if we're not romantically involved. Much less since he did it with me standing not one foot away.

Les shrugged, saying it was worth it. "She tastes sweet." And with that he fled the room. Oh, I'm going to make him pay for that.

Seconds later the guys filed out, emptying the room until only Tank and I were left. The corners of his mouth lifted in a barely there grin. "What?" I shot him an annoyed glare.

He lifted his massive shoulders in what was his best attempt at casual. "She seems nice." His smile grew until he flashed me perfectly white teeth. "Good for you." Apparently, I've been quite a pain in the ass lately.

I didn't dignify his comment with a response, opting instead to go back to my office and get some work done.

S&R

After being absent from the office for a day and part of this morning, time flew by real quick as I worked on the stack of paperwork that piled on my desk. When five o'clock rolled around I decided I'd done enough for today. Besides, I haven't seen wifey since I introduced her to my men. I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't curious to know what she's been up to.

When I agreed to meet Stephanie, I mostly did it out of curiosity. But then I met her and I got this sense of I don't even know what. To put it in short words she inspired trust in me. I felt like I could trust her. It helped that she didn't prod for answers about _my problem_. Aside from that Mariela trusts her implicitly. My sister's never failed me and she's a better judge of character than I am. Perhaps what made me accept this crazy plan was the fact that Stephanie wouldn't do it for money. Yes, Mari's lending her money to pay off debts and bring her business back up. But it's just that: a loan. Like I said, I don't know what I was feeling or thinking that night. It was magical, because everything she said convinced me that this _could_ work. Before either of us could really digest the whole thing we got married.

I took the stairs to the seventh floor, taking two at a time. Usually, after work I'll spend some time in the gym or the shooting range before I decide to call it a day. But that was before this nightmare began. I'm of Cuban descent, but my parents met in Miami. We were all born in the States, which is what makes me think that this is all a nightmare from which I'll wake up in any moment. A few months ago I began hearing stories of things I've supposedly done, but here's the catch: it wasn't me. The list is long and now I have to prove that there's someone posing as me. I know it sounds farfetched, but there's a man out there that looks a lot like me and he's got it into his head that he's the real Carlos Mañoso. It's still hard to tell how he's doing it, but thanks to his messy stunts my life is upside down and going downhill. And if that's not enough, I'm guessing that whether I like it or not my daily routine is going to change even more now.

Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door and entered. I was half afraid to find changes to my apartment, but as far as I could tell everything looked just about the same.

"He's a really good man." I heard my housekeeper, Ella, say.

"Who is?" I asked, fighting hard to hide a smile when she visibly paled. Ella is the only woman employee of Rangeman. Although it's not part of her job description, she's taken it upon herself to add that woman/motherly touch to my apartment and the building as a whole. There's a cleaning crew that takes care of the lower floors, but she's the only one that preps food for the break room on the fifth floor aside from taking care of my personal apartment.

"Call if you need anything." She said to no one in particular as she left.

"Are you staying for dinner?" I asked my sister, not surprised at all to find her here.

"No." Mari said it was date night with her husband.

"Right." I nodded, wondering why she was still here then. Don't get me wrong. I love my sister, but she's spending more time with us than with her husband nowadays.

"I have dinner with my parents." Stephanie offered, saying that she grew up in a small section of town called the 'Burg'. "I'll never hear the end of it if my parents get wind that I'm in town and haven't told them."

Mariela's eyes widen with the information. I groaned, knowing what she was going to say before she even said it. "You should go with her."

"It's really not necessary." Stephanie shot me a nervous glance, blue eyes swirling as a darker hue set in.

"It is." Mari turned to face me. "Her family is going to start asking questions if they never meet her husband."

Stephanie blew out a sigh, because it seems my sis was spot on.

"And don't forget that she has to meet Mami, Papi and the rest of the family."

It was my turn to sigh. I know firsthand what it's like to keep a wife from your parents. I was married once and as soon as our daughter was born, we got a divorce. To this day I still get scolded for that. What my family doesn't understand is that we didn't love each other. I don't regret that part of my life either, because thanks to that I have a wonderful daughter. I love that little girl. "Fine."

My agreement wasn't enough, because my sister gave me a funny look. "You better take a shower and change then." Mari gave me a light shove. "Go." She waved me away and I wondered if maybe _she_ could go away.

A speedy shower later, I dressed in a comfortable pair of black jeans and a white dress shirt. I opted to leave the shirt untucked, strapped my Glock to my left ankle, laced my combat boots and exited the bedroom. I spotted my sister and Bobby leaving when I reached the living room. Since we were finally alone, I took a moment to scan my eyes over the woman in front of me. It was then when it clicked that Stephanie changed out of her morning clothes, swapping her dress for jeans and a v-neck T-shirt. To be fair, I think this look fits her well.

"Ready?" I finally asked.

"Yes." She took the lead out of the apartment and I willing followed, nodding my approval to the way the denim hugged her backside.

"I promised I'd bring desert." She said that we would make a stop at Tasty Pastry as we rode the elevator to the underground garage. I nodded, letting her take the reins for tonight.

The drive to the bakery was spent in silence and surprisingly it wasn't awkward. She'd placed an order earlier, so we waited off to the side while the teenage girl behind the counter went to the back to get it.

"Oh shit!" I'd yet to hear her cuss, meaning it caught my attention when she muttered '_fuck, fuck, fuck'_. She turned a desperate glance my way. "Kiss me." She blurted.

"What?" To say that she caught me off guard would be an understatement. Before I could say anything else, her lips crushed against mine. For a moment, my mind started racing as I tried to figure out why she was doing it. That lasted about a second. My lips parted, opening for her. The kiss turned heated real fast, tongues tangled and our bodies pressed together. I can't be sure how long the kiss lasted, but when we broke apart for air we had an audience. Her hands fisted my shirt sometime during the kiss, her eyes turned almost black and she was flushed a pretty pink shade. Les was right. She tastes sweet.

"Uhm, here's your cake." The girl behind the counter gave us a knowing grin.

"Right." Flustered, Stephanie released her grip and smoothed her palms over the wrinkled fabric. She took a step back, pulled some bills out of the front pocket of her jeans and paid the girl. "Thanks."

"Mr. Manoso." A voice I vaguely recognized called my name.

"Mr. Orr." I returned the greeting, choosing to ignore the woman that was practically draped over him. She had lots of teased red hair and collectively they were shooting daggers at Stephanie. I'm no genius, but I put two and two together. Mariela told me Steph divorced The Dick. I guess when she said 'dick' she really meant 'Dick'.

"Have you decided on…" The man's a schmuck.

"Yes." I cut him off as I snaked an arm around Stephanie's waist. "I've settled for a different candidate." His face fell, not liking my response. "I figured there would be some conflict of interest seeing how Stephanie and I are married."

Orr's expression changed, showing his true colors in a flash. "I'd congratulate you, but…"

The roar of my laugh erased whatever he was about to say from his lips. I kissed Stephanie again, but this time it was a lot less heated.

"Thank you." She said once we reached the side of SUV.

"Babe." I said, opening the passenger door for her. "That guy's a dick." It was her turn to smile.

S&R

Her parents live in a narrow two story house that shares a wall with the twin house next door. It was a pretty average place, but it felt homey.

"I have to warn you," She touched my arm when I cut the engine in front of the house. "My family can get a little crazy." Stephanie said they would most likely grill us for answers.

"Who's here tonight?" I asked, feeling for the first time comfortable enough with her to open up.

"My mom, dad and grandmother."

I laughed again until my chest burned with the need for air. God, I need to do that more often. By the time I regained my composure I realized that she was staring at me like I was crazy. "You'll have to endure dinner with not only my parents, but my siblings and their families." I told her we were so many that the kids ate before the adults sat down.

"Really?" She laughed, a rich sound that made me smile. "I only have one sister." She said they almost never had dinner all together at her parents, unless it was a big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I thought we were off to a good start after all.

As we walked up to the front door two figures appeared behind the screen. Right when we were on the first step, the door opened and two women greeted us.

"Stephanie." The younger of the two women greeted. "Why didn't you tell me you were bringing company?"

"Who's the hottie?" The older one asked.

"Mom, Grandma Mazur this is Carlos."

"You're hot." Grandma Mazur said.

"He's my husband." Stephanie said simply.

The women stared at us in silence as a man bellowed from inside the house, "What!"


End file.
